Grant Funding in 2026: What Works Now

Grant funding hasn’t disappeared - but the rules have changed.

With the pause of the Smart Grant, the shift toward themed competitions, and a growing emphasis on commercialisation, regional impact, and collaboration, many businesses are finding the grant landscape harder to navigate than ever. Success now depends less on writing skill and more on strategic fit, preparation, and timing.

Join Samantha Wildman, Director at MPA , for a practical, insight-led workshop designed to help innovation-led SMEs understand where grant funding is really heading, and whether it makes sense for their business to pursue it.

This session goes beyond “how to apply” and focuses on the decisions that determine success before an application is ever written.

This workshop will help you:

• Understand how the UK grant landscape has changed
  Including the Smart Grant pause, the move toward themed competitions, and what assessors are prioritising now.
• Decide whether grant funding is right for your business at this stage
  Including technology readiness, commercial maturity, and cashflow implications that are often overlooked.
• Navigate the fragmented funding landscape with confidence
  From Innovate UK and UKRI programmes to regional, sector-specific, and EU-level opportunities, and how to find what’s relevant without wasting time.
• Match your project to the right type of funding
  Understanding feasibility vs industrial research, TRLs, collaboration requirements, and when grants, loans or investment are more appropriate.
• Avoid the most common (and costly) mistakes
  Including misaligned collaborations, ineligible costs, underestimating payment delays, and relying on generic or AI-generated applications.
• Understand what actually makes an application successful
  From commercialisation and impact to credibility, partnerships, and value for the taxpayer.

This workshop is best suited to:

• Founders, FDs and CTOs of innovation-led SMEs
• Businesses developing new products, services or technologies
• Companies considering Innovate UK, UKRI or sector-specific grants in the next 6–18 months

It is particularly valuable for organisations unsure whether applying for a grant is the right strategic move — not just how to write one.

Following the session, attendees will have the opportunity to book a free 30-minute Grant Readiness Consultation with Samantha, designed to help you assess:

• Your eligibility and readiness
• Suitable funding routes
• Whether now is the right time to apply — or whether preparation would deliver a better outcome

Meet the speaker

Samantha Wildman, Director at MPA

Samantha Wildman is Group Client Director and a Board Director at MPA, advising founders and senior leadership teams on growth strategy and funding decisions.

With over a decade of experience supporting innovation-led businesses across multiple sectors, Samantha brings a commercial, pragmatic perspective to grant funding — helping organisations assess readiness, avoid costly missteps, and pursue funding that genuinely supports growth.

As Group Client Director, she leads MPA’s client relationship strategy, ensuring businesses receive tailored, proactive advice aligned to their ambitions and capacity. Her Board-level role also contributes to MPA’s strategic direction, with a focus on innovation, client outcomes, and sustainable growth.

About MPA

MPA helps UK business owners overcome the challenges of growth, funding, and exit planning. Our team of advisors combines hands-on entrepreneurial experience with financial and strategic expertise.

From R&D tax credits and outsourced FD services to strategic growth planning, we support over 1,000 UK businesses at every stage.

Event Partners

This event is kindly supported by Allia Impact. Allia Impact supports entrepreneurial business growth and impact, from concept to scale-up. They provide comprehensive business support including free training programmes, development grants, incubator space, and expert mentorship. Their proven approach transforms innovative ideas into thriving impact businesses that deliver both commercial success and meaningful social and environmental change.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Allia Future Business Centre Cambridge Campus, Kings Hedges Road, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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